Plans for the proposed Sutherland space hub have taken a giant leap forward following the agreement of a lease option between the landowners and Highland and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

Representatives of Melness Crofters Estate and HIE signed the agreement yesterday (31st July), which secures the option for HIE to lease the land when planning consent for the project has been granted.

The Sutherland space hub, located on the Moine Peninsula, is expected to form a key component of Scotland’s rapidly expanding space sector, with around 40 high-quality jobs expected to be created locally. HIE is leading the development of the site with a £2.5 million grant from the UK Space Agency, which is funding two launch companies that plan to use the facility.

Commenting on the agreement, Roy Kirk, project director for HIE said: “Space Hub Sutherland development is expected to generate many social and economic benefits for different parts of the region. We have maintained constructive dialogue with the Melness Crofters Estate throughout the process.

“We are very grateful to them for their input and cooperation and welcome this key stage in the project.”

Design work and scoping for environmental impact studies at the site are well underway, HIE confirmed. This will form part of the planning application currently being prepared to secure consent in time for construction, which is scheduled to begin in 2020.

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Dorothy Pritchard, chair of the Melness Crofters Estate, added: “We look forward to continuing our links with HIE and to working with the launch companies and site operator to maximise job opportunities and community benefits for the area.”

Pritchard noted that there is still a “long way to go” in the development process and emphasised that the environmental aspects of the space hub development must be “thoroughly examined” throughout the process.

She said: “We know there is a long way to go and that the next step is to go through to the planning stage. Like everyone else, we want to make sure the environmental and safety aspects oft he proposed development are thoroughly examined and fully addressed as part of the process.”

One of Europe’s leading private launch services company, Orbex, has already opened a new manufacturing facility in Forres and is one of the companies chosen to launch from the proposed spaceport.

CEO Chris Larmour welcomed the announcement and said the company plans for work closely with the local community going forward.

He said: “We welcome this very positive step forward. Orbex’s interactions with the local community in Tongue, Talmine and Melness have been overwhelmingly positive and we are pleased that this strong, long term agreement is now in place.

“We look forward to working closely with the local community in the years to come, and we expect to have many locals working directly on the space launch programme as colleagues, ultimately helping the UK’s National Space Programme to begin launching satellites into space.”